Several Activities Planned This Weekend At Tugaloo State Park

With beautiful weather forecasted for the next several days, this weekend will be an excellent time to get out and explore nature.  And this Friday and Saturday, you’ll have not one, not two, not even three, but four chances to do that at Tugaloo State Park.
It all starts out on Friday afternoon with the first event, “Explore the Nature Hut.” Assistant Park Manager Tracy Brooks says the park’s nature hut will be open for visitors that afternoon from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

“And once you walk inside, there’s all kinds of taxidermied animals and various references and pictures and birds and all kinds of just, a lot of good science information where you can learn a lot about wildlife and nature and things that would be found in the park.

She says park’s naturalist, Ranger Alex Reno, will be on site to answer questions about the park and its trees, plants, and wildlife.

Then on Saturday at noon, bring the whole family to the nature hut as Ranger Reno will present “Radical Reptiles.”  Brooks says Ranger Reno will have things like preserved turtle shells on display.  She’ll also have two live species of corn snakes on display.  Corn snakes are native to this part of the United States.

The third event is “Firemaking 101.” It will be held at firepit at the Tugaloo State Park
amphitheater at 2:00 p.m. Brooks says participants will learn a variety of firemaking techniques.

“She’ll go through a few different methods.  She’ll start out with the different ways to actually build your fire to start with.  Because there are, you can do the t-pee method, or there’s like a brick-laying kind of squared out.  There’s different ways to actually build the base of the fire based on what you’re going for, if you’re going to be cooking or if you just want to roast some marshmallows or something.  But then she will go into the different ways to light also to it, what makes good kindling like pine needles, stuff you can find out in nature, pine cones.  And then she’ll do using the magnesium striker and then go over how to water proof matches and stuff like that.”

Participants will also learn fire safety tips.

The day will conclude with “Storytime with a Ranger” at 4:00 p.m at.  Brooks says during that time, Ranger Reno will read the kid’s book, “A Search for Safe Passage,” which is about overpasses and underpasses that allow animals to cross the highways safety.  Again, the activities at Tugaloo State Park are this Friday and Saturday.

There is the $5 parking fee plus a $2 fee for people who wish to attend “Firemaking 101.”  All other activities are free.  If you have any questions, call Tugaloo State Park at 706-356-4362.